Welcome to Gaia! ::

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There are many tales told about Rhiannon. The most notable and important comes from the Mabinogion, which is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts.

What I have attempted to do below is put together all the various tales into one cohesive story. Most of these ‘adventures’ have been taken directly from a translation of the Mabinogi (with some additions).

The only exception is her early childhood, as we are not told much about her parents or relatives at all. I believe only the name of her father is mentioned – so what I have done is a little ‘invention’ of sorts, to fill in the gaps on her mother’s side of the family – which will be the more crucial side in the long run. I have also had to invent the reasons why Rhiannon was to be reborn.

But the story of Pryderi, and the golden bowl, is all ‘true’. Indeed, it was the story of the golden bowl that first brought Rhiannon to my attention, when I was researching ideas for my original concept (that of the much older Celtic mare goddess Epona).

Now, on to the story.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then let me begin….

I. Early Childhood
Rowena’s mother was a minor goddess of the underworld, the daughter of Gwyn ap Nudd - Lord of the Underworld/lost souls and leader of the Wild Hunt. Her father was Hefaidd Hen, a Welsh chieftan. The story of how this unlikely pair met is a story in itself.

Hefaidd was the second son, and there was nothing more he liked better than to be with his horses. His favourite was a beautiful white mare, which he loved more than anything. His brothers and friends laughed at him, trying to persuade him to marry and take a wife. But Hefaidd refused. His heart was given to his horses – and especially that white mare. Sometimes, he would say that if the mare was a women, well, she would be the one for him. One night, he noticed that the mare had disappeared. Frantic, Hefaidd searched everywhere for her. He finally looked by a pool, where the mare was fond of going. There, he found the most beautiful woman lying there. She looked at him, and instinctively, he knew that she was his mare. They were married (after Hefaidd got over the shock that his father in law was the Lord of the Wild Hunt), and Rhiannon was born not soon afterwards.

For the most part, Rhiannon lived with her father in his lands (which he inherited after the tragic death of his father and elder brother in battle), and hardly ever ventured into the underworld. Her mother still had her job to perform – escorting the dead into the underworld – but she somehow made time for her daughter. Her father used to laugh and say that they were the strangest family that ever lived. And perhaps they were right.

As Rowena grew into a lovely young woman, there was some slight friction between her parents as to what she would do with the rest of her life. Her mother and grandfather were keen for her to take up her place in the ‘family business’, assisting her mother in her appointed tasks.

Her father, on the other hand, had the concerns that most human fathers of the time had – seeing his daughter married and settled down. He even had a suitor picked out – a man by the name of Gwawl , the eldest son of a neighbouring chieftan of great influence in the area.

And although her mother did originally grumble about the match, and having her daughters fine talents wasted on being a ‘simple human mother’, she did approve of the choice of betrothed – as Arawn’s grandmother was also a minor goddess of the underworld, and a good friend of hers. If she was going to have to marry a human, her mother said, it might as well be a human with good solid underworld connections.

And Rhiannon? Well, she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted at the moment, but she was sure that she was not interested in either of the futures her parents had picked out for her.

II. Pywll & Rhiannon

Pywll was the lord of Dyfed. One day he was in Arbeth, a chief court of his, with a feast laid out and great hosts of men all around him. After the first course, Pwyll got up to go for a walk and made for the top of a mound which was above the court and was called Gorsedd Arbeth.

"Lord", said one of the court "it is a peculiarity of the mound that hatever high-born man might sit upon it, he will not go away without one of two things: either wounds or blows, or his witnessing a marvel."

"I have no fear of wounds or blows in the midst of this host. A marvel, however, I would be glad to see. I will go," he continued " and sit on this mound". And he went to sit on the mound.

As they were seated, they could see a woman on a large stately pale-white horse, a garment of shining gold brocaded silk about her, making her way along the track which went past the mound. The horse had an even, leisurely pace; and she was drawing level with the mound it seemed to all those who were watching her.

"Men" said Pwyll "is there any of you who recognizes that lady on horseback over there?"

"There is not, my Lord," they replied.

"One of you go up to her to find out who she is" he said.

One man got up, but when he came onto the road to meet her, she had already gone past. He went after her as fast as he was able to on foot, but the greater was his speed, the further away from him she became. When he could see that following her was to no avail, he returned to Pwyll and said to him:
"Lord, it is no use anyone in the world trying to follow her on foot."

"Aye," said Pwyll "go back to the court, and take the fastest horse that you know, and go after her."

He took the horse and off he went. He got to smooth open country, and he began to set his spurs to the horse; but the more he struck the horse, the further away she became. Yet she still had the same pace with which she had begun. His horse flagged, and when he noticed his horse’s slackening pace, he returned to Pwyll.

"Lord," said he ‘it is no use following that Lady over there. I haven’t known any horse in the land faster than this one, but following her was to no avail."

"There is some kind of a magical meaning to this," said Pywll. "Let us go back to the court."

The next day, ignoring his friends’ advice, Pwyll returned alone to the mound and, once more, the lady again appeared as before. Mounted on his horse, Pwyll pursued her but could not overtake her. Although his horse ran even faster than Rhiannon's, the distance between them always remained the same. Finally, after his horse began to tremble with exhaustion, he stopped and called out for her to wait.

"Maiden," he said "for the sake of the man you love the best, wait for me!"

"Gladly I’ll wait" said she "but it might have been better for the horse if you had asked me a good while before."

The maiden stopped and waited and drew aside the part of her headdress that was there to cover her face. She looked him in the eye, initiating conversation with him.

"Lady," he asked "where are you from? And where are you going?"

"Going about my business," said she, "and glad I am to see you."

"And you are also welcome to me," said he.

And he realized at that moment the faces of every woman and girl he had ever seen were dull in comparison to her face.

"Lady," he asked "can you tell me something of your business?"

‘Between myself and God I’ll tell you,’ said she ‘my chief business was to try and see you.’

‘Well,’ said Pwyll ‘this is the best business you could have come on as far as I’m concerned. And will you tell me who you are?’

‘I will tell you, my Lord,’ she replied ‘I am Rhiannon, daughter of Hyfaidd the Old, and I am being given to a man against my will. For my part, I do not wish for the love of any man, because of the love I have for you. I still do not want this other man, unless you refuse me. And it is to find out your answer to this that I have come.’

'Between myself and God, this is my answer to you’ he replied ‘If I was given the choice out of all of the women and girls of this world, it is you that I would choose.'

Saying this, he reached for her reins to guide her to his kingdom. But Rhiannon smiled tenderly and shook her head, telling him that they must wait a year and that then she would marry him.

After that they passed the year until the appointed time, and then Pwyll equipped himself as one of a hundred riders. He went over to the court of Hyfaidd Hen. He came to the court and there was joy at his arrival.

He was met by a throng and a jubilation, and great preparations were made for his arrival: all the resources of the court were expended according to his direction. The hall was prepared, and they went to the tables. This is how they sat: Hyfaidd Hen on one side of Pwyll with Rhiannon on the other, and then everyone according to his rank. And they began to eat, drink and converse.

As they started their after-dinner drinking, they saw coming inside an auburn-haired youth: tall and of princely demeanour, with a garment of brocaded silk about his person. And when he came to the upper part of the hall he greeted Pwyll and his companions.

‘God’s welcome to you, my friend’ said Pwyll ‘come and sit down.’

‘I will not sit down,’ said the youth ‘I am a petitioner, and I will deliver my reques[.’

‘Please do so,’ said Pwyll.

‘Lord, it is for you I have a request, and to ask you for it I have come.’

‘Whatever boon you put to me, as far as I am able to get it, it will be yours.’

‘Och!’ said Rhiannon ‘why do you give such an answer?’

‘That is how he has given it, Lady, in the presence of nobles,’ said the other.

‘Friend,’ said Pwyll ‘what is your boon?’

‘You are about to sleep with the woman whom I love the most tonight. And it is to ask for her, along with the provisions and victuals which are here that I have come.’

Pwyll fell silent, for there was not an answer he could give.

‘Be dumb as long as you like,’ said Rhiannon ‘there was never a man so slow with his wits as you were just then.’

‘Lady,’ he said ‘I didn’t know who he was.’

‘This is the man to whom they wanted to give me against my will,’ said she ‘Gwawl son of Clud, a man rich in hosts and lands. And since you have said the words that you said, you have to give me to him to prevent dishonour.’

‘Lady,’ said he ‘I don’t know what kind of answer that is. I could never on my life do what you say.’

‘Give me to him,’ said Rhiannon ‘and I will make it so that he can never have me.’

‘How will that be?’ asked Pwyll.

‘I will put a small bag in your hand: keep that with you safely. He is asking for the feast and the provisions and the victuals. But those are not under your sovereignty. I myself gave the feast to the household and the hosts, and that will be your answer regarding that.’

‘As for myself,’ she continued ‘I will arrange a tryst with him, one year from tonight, to sleep with me then. At the end of the year you will be in the orchard up there, with this bag and a hundred horsemen. When he is in the midst of his merriment and carousal, you come inside wearing shabby clothes and with the bag in your hand.

‘I will bring it about’ said she ‘that whatever food and drink is put inside it, it will be no more full than before. And after so much has been thrown in, he will ask if your bag will ever be full. You will say it will not unless a noble lord over many lands should arise and press his feet down on the food in the bag and say “Enough has been placed herein.” And I will make him go and step on the food in the bag. And when he goes in, turn the bag over until he goes head over heels into the bag. Then tie a knot on the strings of the bag. And let there be a good hunting-horn about your neck. When he is tied up in the bag, give a blast on the horn – it can be a signal from you to your men – when they hear the sound of the horn, they can descend on the court.’

And so it happened.

And as each one of Pywll's host came inside, each one of them would strike a blow to the bag, and ask: ‘What is in the bag?’,
‘A badger,’ the others would reply.

They played a game like this: each one striking a blow with his foot and his staff. In such a way they made sport of the bag.

As each one came, he would ask ‘What game are you playing there?’

‘Badger-in-the-Bag.’ would be the reply.

‘Lord,’ said the man from the bag ‘if you would hear me – this is not a fitting death for me – to be slaughtered in a bag.’

‘Lord,’ said Hyfaidd to Pwyll. ‘He speaks the truth. It is legitimate that you should hear him – that is not a fitting way for [this man] to die.’

‘Aye,’ said Pwyll ‘I will follow your council about this.’

‘Here is your counsel:’ suggested Rhiannon 'You are now in at a juncture where it is proper to give satisfaction to both petitioners and minstrels. Leave him there to give to all on your behalf,’ she continued ‘and take guarantees against his making a claim or pursuing revenge. That will be punishment enough for him.’

‘He will take that gladly,’ said the man in the bag.

‘And gladly I will accept it as well,’ replied Pwyll ‘by the counsel of Hyfaidd and Rhiannon.’

‘That is our counsel’ they replied.

‘In that case I will accept it,’ said Pwyll.

Thereupon he was released from the bag and his top men set free.

‘Formulate the conditions yourself,’ said Gwawl ‘on your own terms.’

‘The way Rhiannon formulated the conditions’ said Pwyll ‘is good enough for me.’

‘Aye, Lord,’ said Gwawl ‘I am injured and have received great wounds, and I need a bath. With your leave, I will be on my way. I will leave some noblemen in my stead who will answer to all who petition you.’

‘Gladly,’ replied Pwyll ‘you do that.’

And Gwawl went back to his country. But that was not the last that Rhiannon had seen of this man, as we shall see.

But we are getting ahead of the story here.

III. The ‘lost years’ : Pryderi

Rhiannon was welcomed by her husband’s people and admired for her great beauty and her lovely singing. However, when two full years had passed without her becoming pregnant with an heir to the throne, the question of her bloodline, her “fitness” to be queen began to be raised.

Fortunately, in the next year she delivered a fine and healthy son. This baby, however, was to become the source of great sorrow for Rhiannon and Pwyll.

As was the custom then, six women servants had been assigned to stay with Rhiannon in her lying-in quarters to help her care for the infant. Although the servants were supposed to work in shifts tending to the baby throughout the night so that the goddess Rhiannon could sleep and regain her strength after having given birth, one evening they all fell asleep on the job.

When they woke to find the cradle empty, they were fearful they would be punished severely for their carelessness. They devised a plan to cast the blame on the goddess Rhiannon, who was, after all, an outsider, not really one of their own people. Killing a puppy, they smeared its blood on the sleeping Rhiannon and scattered its bones around her bed. Sounding the alarm, they accused the goddess of eating her own child.

Although Rhiannon swore her innocence, Pwyll, suffering from his own shock and grief and faced with the anger of his advisers and the people, did not come strongly to her defense, saying only that he would not divorce her and asking only that her life be spared. Rhiannon’s punishment was announced.

With the skills of the court wizard, Rhiannon was turned into the form of a white mare. And for the next seven years the she was to wait by the castle gate, greeting guests with the story of her crime and offering to carry them on her back into the castle.

In the fall of the fourth year three strangers appeared at the gate—a well-dressed nobleman, his wife, and a young boy. Rhiannon rose to greet them saying, “Lord, I am here to carry each of you into the Prince’s court, for I have killed my only child and this is my punishment.” The man, his wife, and the child dismounted. While the man lifted the surprised Rhiannon onto his horse, the boy handed her a piece of an infant’s gown. Rhiannon saw that it was cloth that had been woven by her own hands. The boy then smiled at her, and she recognized that he had the eyes of his father, Pwyll.

Soon the story was told. The nobleman's name was King Teyrnon. Four years ago, during folaing season, his mares were giving birth but the foals had disappeared. Teyrnon had been watching his stables when he saw a mysterious beast coming to take the foal; Teyrnon stopped the beast by cutting off its arm at the elbow, and found the child outside the stable.
He and his wife took the baby in, raising him as if he were their own. The boy was given the foal who had caused Teyrnon to be in the stables in the first place.

When the rumors of the goddess Rhiannon’s fate had reached his ears, he realized what had happened and set out at once to return the child to his parents.

The child was given the name Pryderi, which means "worry".

And so, after Rhiannon had been happily reunited with her son, she was finally able to settle down and live a full and happy life. Strangely enough, as time passed and her children grew (and had children of their own), Rhiannon seemed to hardly age. Her friends and family commented (often enviously) that she didn’t seem to look any older than when they first met her.

Alas for Rhiannon, this was not the case for her loving husband. It was terrible to watch Pywll grow old and grey, while she herself remained fairly youthful. Eventually, as all mortals must, he passed on, and Pryderi (by now of course a young warrior with a family of his own) became lord of Dyfed.

Pywll had not even been laid to rest, before Rhiannon found herself visited by her grandfather and her mother. She was half expecting this moment, as it had been her mother who had collected her husband’s spirit. They had come for her.

It was time, her grandfather said, for her to take her appointed place at her mother’s side, helping her with her tasks. But Rhiannon was not yet willing to go. She pleaded to be allowed to stay for a while. Her husband may have passed, but her children still lived. And there were many wonderful grandchildren that she wanted to get to know.

And so, very reluctantly, Lord Gwyn agreed. Rhiannon could remain in Dyfed, for a period of no more than a century. That should be enough time, he said, to see her children and grandchildren grown. But once the period was up, there would be no more bargaining. She had to return home, and back to her duties.


IV. The Golden Bowl, and the ‘adventure’ that happened hereafter

According to the Mabinogion, Pryderi invited Manawydan son of Llyr, to live with him in Dyfed after they both returned from the fighting in Ireland.

It wasn't too long before Manawydan found himself attracted to Pryderi's mother. And despite swearing that she could never love another man again, Rhiannon found that she tood had feelings for him.

They were soon married, but there was not much time to celebrate, for dark times were ahead.

Soon, a spell caused all the people and domestic animals in Dyfed to disappear, leaving only Rhiannon, Pryderi and his wife, Cigva, and Manawydan. They lived by hunting for a while then went to England to make a living as craftsmen, but the excellence of their work led to the other craftsmen plotting to kill them out of jealousy, so that eventually they returned to Dyfed.

One day, Manaywdan and Pryderi, while out hunting, saw a white boar which they followed. It went into a mysterious tower and Pryderi followed and didn't return. On hearing the story, Rhiannon too went into the tower and found Pryderi stuck rigid and speechless to a golden bowl in the middle of the floor. She too touched the bowl and became stuck and the tower then disappeared.

Manawydan and Cigva again were forced to try to make a living in England and again were driven away by jealour rivals. This time, Manawydan brought back wheat and sowed three crofts, but as they became ready for reaping he found the first two stripped bare overnight. He guarded the third croft and saw a multitude of mice stealing the corn. He caught one which seemed slow and fat and the next day started to try to hang it for stealing.

Three strangers approached and offered to ransom the mouse and by refusing to agree Manawydan was able to persuade the third stranger, a bishop, to remove the curse on Dyfed and release Pryderi and Rhiannon - it turned out that all three strangers were Llwyd fab Cil Coed in disguise and that he was responsible for Manawydan's troubles.

Llwyd told Manawydan that he was a friend of Gwawl, and had enchanted Dyfed and captured Rhiannon and Pryderi in revenge for the insult done to Gwawl by Pwyll (Pryderi's father and Rhiannon's first husband). The mouse turned out to be the wife of Llwyd, who had gone with the other women of Llwyd's court disguised as mice to steal the grain (the previous two nights it had been his warband). She was pregnant which made her slower than the rest.

V. Return?
After Manawydan finally passed on (and refused, like Pryderi, to take the offer of a ‘position’ in the underworld), Rhiannon was not really surprised when her grandfather and her mother appeared to her again. The allotted ‘leeway’ had passed, and there were no more options left to take. And so it was that Rhiannon finally left the human world, and ‘started work’ (so to speak) assisting her mother in guiding the souls of those who had passed.

However, Rhiannon found that she could not forget her time spent so easily. Her mother had been through the same situation (in that she too had married a mortal), but she hardly seemed to talk about it, and all the emotional baggage that came with it. Maybe it was because her husband had taken up the offer. That offer was given to the mortal spouses of the direct descendants of Gwyn ap Nudd – namely Rhiannon and her mother – that if they chose to, they could remain with their wife, and take up a small position in the underworld.

So it was that Hefaidd Hen was still alive and kicking after a fashion – assisting his father-in-law. But both Pywll and Manawydan had chosen to ‘pass on’ and go where mortals do, and try as she might, she could not forget them.

It was with this in mind that she finally confronted her grandfather and her parents, asking that she again be given a chance to live among humans. A second chance, so to speak.

Her grandfather was reluctant. Much time had passed since Rhiannon had left the world, and it was greatly changed. All of her immediate family and descendants had since passed, and, he argued, a return would only distress her, as opposed to helping her.

Surprisingly, it was Rhiannon’s father who dared to support her. He had always been close to his daughter, and being mortal originally, he had some idea of what she felt. Also, he had noticed that his daughter had not been the same since she returned. There seemed to be something missing. He hoped that by returning, she might regain some of her former ‘spark’, and be happy. And after all, couldn’t they still be able to keep an eye on her? If the world ‘outside’ was not quite what she had expected, then couldn’t they be able to retrieve her?

It was this that finally managed to convince Lord Gwyn. With great reluctance, he agreed that Rhiannon would be able to return to the place that she so loved. However, he could not return her as she was. People might start asking questions, as to why she so closely resembled the queen of legend (and by now, the tales of her and her family had indeed become legendary.) . The only way she would be able to return, would be if she were reborn. He had already selected suitable foster parents – minor nobility, who were distant descendants of Rhiannon herself, through her son Pryderi.

And so, the deed was done.

However, as the last finishing touches on the spell were complete, and as Rhiannon faded from view, her mother felt that something was not quite right. They had sent her to be reborn, but due to an unforeseen ‘temporal glitch’, they had not sent her to the Earth that Rhiannon remembered. Instead, the spell had jumped sideways, and sent her to somewhere that was not exactly Earth.

The Jewel Archipelago….

VI. Second Chances
It was a dark and stormy night.
Okay, so it wasn’t. But for Harry Peters, resident vet at Chantlei, it was a very crucial night, regardless of what the weather was like. (It was actually a fairly clear night, and there was a full moon out. Just in case you might have been wondering.) One of the stud’s most prized broodmares was due to foal that night, and Harry was asked by Lord Chantlei himself, to stay overnight to keep an eye on the mare. It was something he would have done anyway – but it was nice to know that the boss cared about his horses.

Harry stepped into the semi-darkness of the foaling barn (trying not to trip over anything), and headed straight for the mare’s stall. He was surprised to see her moving about. “You’ve had your foal already, old girl?” Harry moved to try and get a closer look at the new arrival. The mare wasn’t due to foal until later that evening – perhaps the baby was premature, and might need looking at.

As he expected, the mare wasn’t too happy on letting him inside the stall. “Come on, old girl,” he said soothingly, “I need to have a look at your little one. It might need my help.”
Surprisingly, the mare moved to one side.

That’s when he saw it. Lying in the straw was a small damp foal. But next to her…Harry’s jaw dropped as he heard an all-too human cry coming from the bundle lying next to the foal. “What the…”
He stood there, dumbstruck, for a good few minutes, not sure what to think. It was the old broodmare, nudging him on his back, that brought Harry back to his senses. Still disbelieving, he knelt down in the straw to check out the two new arrivals.

The foal appeared to be a healthy filly foal, who was soon up and having it’s first drink from its mother.

The baby was also female – wrapped in a midnight blue blanket embroidered with silver stars, and a old-looking ceramic horse head pendant draped around her neck.

Harry was still puzzled as to how someone could have gotten into the foaling barn without setting off the many intruder alarms that were set up around the stud, and leaving the bundle without disturbing the broodmare. Harry chuckled. The old girl had even seemed to be protecting the baby.

He supposed that the baby belonged to someone who obviously couldn’t care for her anymore, and wanted her to be well looked after.

“Well, little one,” Harry said, as he picked up the tiny bundle, “I’m not the idea of a perfect father, but I hope this is what your poor mother intended.” The baby merely looked at him with those strange grey eyes, before falling asleep in his arms. Well, that was that. Harry settled himself and his new baby girl down in the straw, listening to the broodmare and her new arrival move around above him.

One thing was for sure. Lord Chantlei would be surprised when he came down in the morning.



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Communication with horses
(approved by JadeEye, as Yani also has the power of animal communication)
This one is fairly easy to explain. Basically, Rowena can understand what horses (and any other equine, for that matter) is saying, and they are able to understand her. No-one else is able to hear the equine side of the conversation – if someone happened to overhear (which would probably be unlikely – she’s very careful to not start chattering away in public places), all they would be able to hear is the usual ‘horse noises’.

At a later date, it may be possible that Rowena can ‘transfer’ some of her powers to another person in some way, to enable that other person to communicate with equines in the same way that she does. But as this process is very taxing on her, it would probably only be something that she would attempt in extreme emergencies.

It may also be that if and when she does marry (if this does occur at all), her partner may also be able to share this power – possibly because there might be an involuntary (or incidental) power transfer because of their, er, ‘closeness’. We shall have to see ^_^

Spirit Communication / 'second sight'
I suppose you could see this sort of like ‘medium’ type powers – Rowena can see the spirits of those who have passed on, and she is able to communicate with them. She sees them as ordinary human beings (while the rest of us obviously cannot see them), which led to a lot of confusion when she was a child, as she couldn’t understand why nobody else could see these people. You could say that her imaginary friends were a lot more ‘realer’ than everybody else’s ^_^

As you might expect, Rowena was a pretty popular person among the spirit community in Greendale (which was surprisingly large , considering it is supposed to be a sleepy little country village) – and she often had spirits dropping in on her to ask for help, usually at the most inopportune moments (spirits have no concept of time, dontchaknow). Rowena often used to say that she had her own little private detective business. Except that the clients couldn’t pay, of course.

By the recitation of a specific ritual (which she will learn at a later date), she can also assist these spirits to ‘pass on’ – that is, if they want to move on.

So Long and Goodnight

Fa'e is (c) Anya!

Rowena & Fa'e concept (c) me
The Jewel Archipelago and all its contents within are (c) me

all art - graphics, drawings etc. is (c) me unless otherwise stated

deceptively cute pony!Trouble is (c) Cirque de Coeur Tourve